AAD. Automatic Activation Device. A device that senses rate of descent and
altitude and which will attempts to mechanically activate the reserve parachute if the
skydiver passes below a set altitude at a high rate of descent.

Accuracy. Also known as Precision Landing, this
is a competition discipline in which the skydiver attempts to land on an established
target. At the National level the target is 3 cm in diameter, about the size of a quarter.
Accuracy landings of various difficulty, from 20 meters to 2 meters, are required for USPA
licenses. See the SIM for details.

AFF. Accelerated Free Fall. An AFF student receives
training on freefall jumps of 40 seconds or longer, accompanied by a qualified jumpmaster,
as opposed to Static Line training which does not involve long freefall in the initial
training phase.

AGL. Above Ground Level. Altitudes are in reference
either to Ground Level of Sea Level (see MSL). Skydivers always use AGL when referring to
altitude.

Airspeed. The speed of a flying object through
the air, commonly used in reference to aircraft or canopies.

Aspect ratio. The ratio of a canopys width (side to
side) to breadth (front to back). Seven cell canopies typically have an aspect ratio of
about 2.2 to one, while nine cell canopies are usually between 2.8 and 3.0 to one.

Box man. A neutral, face to earth body position in
which the arms form right angles at shoulder and elbow, and the legs are spread at about
45 degrees from the long axis and bent 45 degrees at the knees. Generally considered the
ideal position for Formation Skydiving.

Brakes. The brake lines of the canopy are
synonymous with steering lines. Used together, they slow the parachute. Used independently
they result in a turn.

Break off. To cease formation skydiving by tracking
away from the formation prior to deployment.

Bridle. The thin webbing strap from the pilot
chute to the top of the canopy. Part of the deployment system which consists of pilot
chute, bag and bridle.

BSR. Basic Safety Requirements. BSRs are USPA guidelines. They do not have force of law but are
generally regarded as excellent minimum safety standards.

Burble. The area of turbulence behind an object
going through the air, whether a person in freefall or a canopy in flight.

Call. The time remaining until you are to board the aircraft. For example,
a fifteen minute call means you will board in fifteen minutes.

Canopy. The construction of fabric and lines used
to land safely after a freefall. Usually used in conjunction with a type reference (round,
square, zero-p, main or reserve).

Cascade. The point where two lines join together
so they run smoothly into one. Cascading the suspension lines results in reduced bulk and
drag.

Cell. Square canopies are made up of pressurized
cells, usually seven or nine. Each cell consists of a load bearing rib at each side to
which the suspension lines are attached. A third, non load bearing rib runs down the
middle of the cell. The cell is pressurized through the open mouth at the front and also
through cross ports in the ribs. Adjacent cells share load bearing ribs.

Center point. The point around which movement
takes place. In an individual the center point is considered to be in the middle of the
torso. In a group, it is the point that the formation centers around.

Cessna. An aircraft manufacturer. Single engined
Cessnas such as 180s, 182s and 206s are the workhorse of smaller drop zones, carrying four
to six jumpers.

Chute assis. French for sit flying, or freefalling
with one's seat presented to the relative wind.

Closing loop. The small loop that holds the flaps of
the container closed once the pin has been guided through the loop.

Coach. A skydiver with some formal training in the
art of instructing freefall technique.

Container. The element of the parachute that
houses the canopies. Technically, the Harness/Container but usually just referred to as
the container.

Crabbing. A canopy is crabbing when it is flown
at an angle sideways to the ambient wind, resulting in a path across the ground that is
sideways as well as forwards.

Creep. To creep is to practice formation skydiving
sequences while laying prone on a creeper.

Creeper. A board equipped with wheels on which a
skydiver lays to simulate freefall maneuvers.

Cross ports. Holes in the ribs of a cell that allow
air to flow from one cell to another.

Current. To "be current" is to have
jumped recently enough to retain proficiency in the sport. Uncurrent skydivers, depending
on their experience, must be supervised to some degree when they resume jumping. See the
SIM.

Cut away. To release the main parachute, cutting
away is a standard emergency procedure prior to deploying the reserve. More properly known
as a breakaway, the technique did involve using a simple release system activated by
pulling a handle.

CRW. Canopy Relative Work, now officially known as
Canopy Formations. CRW involves flying open canopies in close formation, where the pilots
actually take grips on each other's parachutes.

CYPRES. A type of AAD. Made by AirTech of
Germany, this is the most common type of AAD and the first modern design to be widely
adopted by expert skydivers.

DC-3. A type of aircraft, the Douglas DC-3 is a large, twin engined
airplane capable of carrying over 40 jumpers. Like the Twin Beech, DC-3s are being rapidly
replaced by more modern turbine engined aircraft.

De-arch. To flatten out or reverse one's body
position from the normal arched box man. A de-arch results in a slower fall rate than an
arch.

Dacron. A common construction material for canopy
suspension lines. Dacron lines are thicker and softer than so called
"microlines".

Data card. Every parachute carries a data card with
information on the reserve parachute, including type, last date packed, owner, serial
number, etc.

Elliptical. A wing shape characterized by a tapering leading and trailing
edge so that the middle of the canopy is wider, front to back, than the ends. This
configuration is typical of many high performance canopies.

Fall rate. The speed at which a skydiver falls.
Matching fall rate is essential to successful formation skydiving. This is done with
jumpsuits, weights and body position.

Finger trap. A method of installing a loop in a brake
line without producing rough spots on the lines, the finger trap is accomplished by
sliding one line into the other. The loop serves as a method of setting brakes in the
desired position for the parachutes deployment.

Flare. The act of pulling down the brakes of the
canopy in order to slow it down, resulting in an increased angle of attack and reduced
descent rate.

Floater. Skydivers who leave the airplane before
the base are called floaters since they must use a slow fall rate to get up to the base.
Floating also refers to an exit position outside the airplane.

Freestyle. A type of skydiving characterized
by acrobatic individual flying, reminiscent of gymnastics.

FS. Formation Skydiving, formerly known as relative
work. In FS, skydivers attempt to go through a predetermined sequence of freefall
formations.

Formation. 1) A freefall skydiving formation
of more than one jumper. 2) A flight of more than one jump plane.

Funnel. A funnel occurs when one or more
skydivers find themselves in an unstable body position and end up in a skydivers burble.
The resulting loss of stability for the other skydivers usually causes the formation to
break up.

FXC. A company manufacturing AADs. One FXC design is
common on students but considered by many to be unsuitable for expert skydivers. A new FXC
design, the ASTRA, went on the market in the spring of 1996 and is relatively unknown.

Glide ratio. The distance a canopy flies forward compared to down. A
canopy with a 3:1 glide ratio flies three feet forward for every foot of vertical descent.

GPS. Global Positioning System. By picking up
signals from satellites, a GPS receiver can tell the user position over the ground. Used
in skydiving aircraft to spot the exit.

Grips. Using the hands to hold onto another
skydiver in freefall or during the aircraft exits. In formation skydiving, the formations
are scored as complete when every skydiver has taken the correct grips.

Grippers. Hand holds built onto formation
skydiving jumpsuits to make it easier to take grips.

Ground speed. The speed of an airplane or skydiver
over the ground, as opposed to through the air.

Hand deploy. To activate the parachute by manually deploying the pilot
chute as opposed to pulling a ripcord.

Harness/container. The webbing and fabric holding the
main and reserve canopies to the skydiver.

Heading. The direction an aircraft, skydiver, or
parachute is facing. The ability to recognize and maintain heading is crucial to jumping
with others successfully. "On" or "off" heading are terms commonly
used to describe exits and deployments.

Holding. When a parachute is flying directly
into the ambient wind, it is said holding. See running and crabbing.

Hook knife. A small knife carried in the jumpsuit or
on the parachute harness, the hook knife is designed to cut lines or webbing. A small
razor blade is recessed in a hook shaped handle to prevent unintentional cuts.

Hook turn. A turn of 90 degrees or more executed
close to the ground. Because of the high risk associated with this maneuver, hook turns
have an unfavorable connotation.

Hot fuel. When the airplane does not shut down during
fueling. Do not board the aircraft while fueling is in progress.

Jump run. The flight path taken by the jump plane to put the skydivers in
position over the airport.

Jumpsuit. A cover all type garment designed for
specific skydiving applications such as FS, freestyle or accuracy.

Jumpmaster. Someone who has successfully
attended a USPA Jumpmaster Certification Course. A jumpmaster has all of the privileges of
an Instructor except that they cannot supervise a first jump course, sign off licenses, or
manage a student program without an instructor's supervision.

Line of flight. An imaginary line corresponding to the jump plane's path
over the ground, the line of flight is a useful reference line on larger formation
skydives. Also, during the jump run the skydivers will be distributed along this line of
flight.

Log book. Like pilots or sailors, skydivers log their
activity and achievements in order to document their experience.

LORAN. A navigational system similar to GPS except
based on ground transmitters, LORAN is relatively obsolete.

Peas. Pea gravel, used in the landing area as a
target reference and because it is forgiving of hard landings.

Pin. 1) The skydiver who first gets to the base.
Base/pin are the two people around which many formations are built. 2) The act of docking
on the base. 3) The closing pin of the main or reserve container, which should both be
checked prior to jumping.

RSL. Reserve static line. This is a line from the main risers to the
reserve cable. In the event the main is cut away, it may pull the reserve pin. Note: this
system is only effective in malfunctions where the main is at least partially deployed.

RW. Relative work, the term used to describe
formation skydiving until a change in nomenclature made by the International Parachuting
Commission in the early 90s.

Relative wind. The apparent wind felt by a jumper
in freefall, relative wind is the result of the skydiver's speed through the air.

Reserve. The auxiliary parachute carried on
every intentional parachute jump.

Rip cord. The deployment system on all reserves and
most student parachutes. The ripcord is a piece of cable with a handle at one end and a
pin at the other. When pulled, the pin comes out of the closing loop holding the container
shut, and the pilot chute is released.

Rig. Skydiver slang for the entire parachute,
including main and reserve canopies and the harness/container.

Rigger. Someone with a certificate from the FAA
stating they have successfully met the requirements to be a parachute rigger.

Rigger's certificate. The certificate possessed by a
rigger as proof of competence. Senior riggers may make minor repairs and pack reserve and
main parachutes. Master riggers may make major repairs and alterations as well as packing
parachutes.

Risers. The webbing that connects the harness to
the suspension lines. At the bottom of the risers will be a mechanism for attaching and
releasing the risers and harness, usually in the form of a three ring release. On the rear
risers are the brakes/steering lines. The suspension lines attach to the top of the risers
with connector links, also known as rapid links.

Round. 1) A formation where each skydiver has
grips on the arms of those next to him, also known as a star. 2) A round parachute, as
opposed to a modern ram-air "square" parachute.

Running. When a canopy is flying with the
ambient wind it is said to be running. This produces the greatest possible ground speed.

S&TA. Safety and Training Advisor. The S&TA is a volunteer
representative of USPA who attempts to disseminate information about safety and act as a
liaison between the DZ and USPA. Most S&TAs hold instructor ratings.

SCR. The oldest award for formation skydiving
achievement, for those who have been in a star of at least eight people in which each
person left the aircraft separately and flew to the formation.

SIM. Skydiver's Information Manual. Published by the
USPA, the SIM is a comprehensive manual on USPA policies and training methods. It also
includes FARs pertinent to skydiving.

SOS. Single Operation System. This system simplifies
emergency procedures by combining the functions of the cut away and reserve handles in a
single handle.

Seal. Reserve parachutes have a small lead seal on
a piece of red thread around the closing pin. This seal indicates the reserve has not been
opened since it left the riggers hands.

Skygod. Although on the surface this term refers
to a superior skydiver, in drop zone use skygod is a derogatory term for a skydiver whose
ego has grown faster than his skydiving ability.

Slider. A rectangular piece of nylon fabric with
a grommet at each corner through which the canopy's suspension lines are routed. Packed at
the top of the lines, the slider controls the opening of the canopy by preventing the
parachute from expanding too rapidly.

Slot. A position in the skydive or on the plane.
Uses: "dock in your slot", or "two slots left on the next Otter".

Stabilizer. The vertical strips of cloth
depending from the end cells of the canopy. Stabilizers improve the canopy's ability to
fly straight ahead and enhance efficiency by reducing tip vortices.

Stall. When the angle of attack of a wing becomes
too high to sustain lift, the wing is said to be stalled.

Static line. In static line deployments the parachute
deployment system is attached to the airplane, with a cord ten to fifteen feet long,
resulting in deployment immediately after exit.

Steering lines. The lines that run from the
steering toggles on the rear risers to the trailing edge of the parachute.

Steering toggles. Handles attached to the end of the
steering lines to facilitate their use. Toggles and lines are configured so they can be
stowed in a partially down position to enhance the opening of the parachute.

Stow. To neatly arrange suspension lines on the
deployment bag or steering toggles in their keepers.

Style. A type of freefall competition where an individual
skydiver attempts to execute a predetermined sequence of maneuvers in the shortest
possible time.

Suspension lines. The lines from the risers to
the canopy. They are normally in four groups, labeled from front to back as A, B, C and D.
They can be further divided into right and left or front and back riser groups, and by
type of material.

Swoop. 1) To dive down to a formation or
individual in freefall. 2) To aggressively approach the landing area in order to produce a
long, flat flare and an exciting landing.

TAF - Tandem Accelerated Freefall where the 1st 3 or 4 stages are done on tandem and then the AFF one on one jumps are done as per the standard AFF program.

Tandem. Parachute jumps in which two skydivers, usually an instructor and
student, share one parachute system. The student is in a separate harness that attaches to
the front of the instructor's harness.

Terminal velocity. The speed at which drag matches
the pull of gravity, resulting in a constant fall rate. Typical terminal velocity for
formation skydiving is in the 120 to 135 mile per hour range, but speeds as high as 300
miles per hour have been reached.

Three ring. A parachute release mechanism that
utilizes three rings of separate size in a mechanical advantage system. Invented by Bill
Booth in the late 70s, the three ring release is almost universally considered the best
cut away system available.

Throw out. A deployment method in which the pilot
chute is stowed in a pouch on the belly, leg of bottom of container.

Track. To assume a body position that creates a
high forward speed. Used to approach or depart from other skydivers in freefall.

TSO. Technical Standard Order. A technical standard
that all American parachutes must meet before they can be marketed. Unless specifically
exempted by the FAA, a parachute must have a TSO placard to be legal.

Turn around load. When the aircraft does not shut
down between loads, but lands and picks up skydivers for immediate departure.

The United States Parachute Association is a non profit skydiver's
organization. USPA offers guidance and assistance to skydivers in training, government
relations, competition, and many other fields. Most drop zones require USPA membership of
individual skydivers because such membership includes third party liability insurance.

Wave off. Prior to deployment a skydiver should make a clearly defined arm
motion to indicate to others nearby that he is about to open his parachute. A good wave
off is essential to the avoidance of deployment collisions.

WDI. Wind drift indicator. A paper streamer thrown
from the jump plane to estimate winds under canopy and determine the spot.

Weights. Many lighter skydivers wear a weight
vest to allow them to maintain a fast fall rate.

Wuffo. Skydiver slang for people who don't jump,
from "Wuffo you jump out of them planes?"

Wind line. An imaginary line from the desired landing
area, extending directly along the direction the wind is blowing.